Plastic Recycling Codes

Plastic recycling codes are normally stamped at the bottom of any plastic products, no matter what the brand is.

The codes are meant for recyclers to identify in general, what are the main chemical compositions of the plastic so that they can be recycled more effectively.

Please do not be confused

Tupperware does not use recycled plastic in its products. Tupperware only uses fresh epoxy to make new Tupperware containers.

Old Tupperware items which are sent for replacement, are sent for recycling. At the recycling center, they are sorted out in their respective bins by the center and are treated as appropriate, together with other brands.

As consumers, we normally dump our recyclable plastic into the general recycle bin meant for plastic, and we do not have to know "which bin number" they should go to.

That is unless your community recycling center has separate bins for different types of plastic to be sorted out. Then, you simply look at the bottom of the bottle or container to see at which bin number they belong.

So here are the codes, by number and the type of plastics based their chemical composition, their common usage and what are they turned into after being recycled.

I hope this will help to clear any confusion among us because of the lack of information or even misinformation. You should understand the meaning of plastic recycling codes and its relation to Tupperware products after reading this.

Plastic recycling code number	Types of plastic used to make the products	Common use for this type of plastic	Examples of what these recycled products are turned into:
	Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)	Mineral water bottle, rigid box for fresh produce	Filler for pillow and sleeping bags. clothing, soft drink bottles, carpet. Tupperware does not use PET.
	High density polyethylene (HDPE)	Opaque bottles like for shampoo or detergent	Recycling bins, compost bins, buckets, detergent, containers. Tupperware products that use HDPE are the grid of Modular Crisper and also the tray of the bread server.
	Polivinyl chloride (PVC)	Cling wrap, some plastic squeeze bottles, plumbing pipes	Flooring, speed bumps, cable and sheets, binders, mud flaps and mats. Tupperware does not use PVC.
	Low density polyethylene (LDPE)	Plastic grocery bags, most plastic wraps.	Rubbish bin liners, pallet sheets. (Most Tupperware products fall into this category).
	Polypropylene (PP)	Clouded bottles or containers like for ice-cream or yoghurt.	Pegs, bins, pipes, pallets, oil, funnels, car battery cases. Tupperware does not use PP.
	Polystyrene (PS) or expanded polystyrene (EPS)	Styrofoam cups, trays. Disposable plates, packaging "peanuts".	Coat hangers, coaster, stationery trays and other accessories. Tupperware does not use PS or EPS.
	Other materials which cannot be classified in any of the above. (e.g polycarbonate, polyamide and new biodegrable plastics)	Car parts, computer casings, rigid plastic trays used by bakers.	Car parts, concrete aggregate, plastic timber. Tupperware uses plastic code no. 7 to make the Eleganzia range, kitchen tools, Rock N serve range and Rice dispenser (made of ABS).